Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín are the same age. Barely nine days separate them. During the four seasons that they competed to be Real Madrid's starting striker, neither of them became indisputable -neither with Pellegrini first nor with Mourinho later- during the four seasons they coexisted in the Santiago Bernabeu dressing room. The path of both separated in 2013 and the comparisons today incomparable ended.
And it is that the same day that he elevated the Frenchman as the best footballer in the world by winning his first Ballon d'Or, Higuaín hung up his boots in the United States. At 34, the Argentine played his last game. It was in Inter Miami's defeat against New York City (3-0) that ended his team's season in MLS.
"The dream ended. I felt that what I loved was over. It has been half my life, a 17-year career," he said at Citi Field in New York after the thrashing conceded by the David Beckham-owned club. "When one grows, matures and over the years, thoughts change. At the beginning of my career I wanted to be remembered in a certain way and today that I finish it I want to be remembered as a good person," he added to the media.
Benzema also spoke of mental maturity during his speech at the Théâtre Du Châtelet in Paris, a maturity that helped him endure difficult moments outside of sports -such as the blackmail for the sexual video of his former teammate Valbuena- and that at the age of 30 helped him to discover ambition, especially when he took charge of Madrid's attack with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I always had this trophy in mind, but after 30 I discovered ambition. That made me work harder, be more decisive, bet on important things like being a leader in the team. When I was 22 I didn't have the same ambition as today" , he assured on the stand.
One of the episodes that stung Benzema's pride the most was José Mourinho's famous comparison between a dog (Higuaín) and a cat (Benzema). In 2010 the Argentine was injured and was left with only the Frenchman as the only attacker. "l. "If you don't have a dog to go hunting and you have a cat, then you go with the cat, because you can't go alone," said the controversial coach before a league match against Zaragoza.
Benzema did not like the animal simile at all. Years later he explained on Canal France that he went to ask the Portuguese coach for explanations. "We had a good relationship, but later there were phrases or comments that did not come to mind. He talked about cats, dogs and many other things in the press. I had the impression that he found it funny. And the truth is that he was someone whom I respected, at that moment the pot went out of me".
Benzema was only 23 years old, but he wanted to square off. "I am a soccer player, you are my coach. I respect you, so respect me as a soccer player. I am someone shy, but if you are going to laugh at me, you are going to find me," he told him defiantly.
Over time, Benzema gained prominence and Higuaín had to pack his bags for Italy. In Naples he swelled to score goals and then Juventus signed him for 90 million. Dressing as a bianconero, he played in a 2017 Champions League final against his former team. Neither of the two protagonists in history scored, but Benzema lifted the third of the five European Cups that he has in his record.
Both of their careers had changed completely. While Higuaín was fighting for minutes in his teams, Benzema was increasingly a leader in Madrid. Now Higuaín ends his stage as a player and would like to opt for coaching. Benzema remains focused on his career to accumulate as many titles as possible, without giving up a second Ballon d'Or, although it is not something he has in mind, as he acknowledged at the gala.
Higuaín and Benzema also shared minutes on the pitch. In the games that both participated, Madrid won 42 of the 59 they played. The Argentine scored 37 goals and distributed 17 assists in those games, better numbers than Lyon (29 goals and 18 assists).
Higuaín says goodbye with 366 goals to his credit in official matches -he is the fifth top scorer for the Argentine national team- due to the 431 goals scored by Benzema, always faithful to Real Madrid. The cat ended up being a better hunter than the dog.
